A New Look at the Melting Layer

Drummond, Fiona; Rogers, Raymond R.; Cohn, Stephen A.; Ecklund, W. L.; Carter, D. A.; Wilson, J. S.

doi:10.1175/1520-0469(1996)053<0759:anlatm>2.0.co;2

Cited by 33 publications

(54 citation statements)

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“…The bright band is an important radar feature since changes in precipitation rate and raindrop size distribution (RSD) are closely related to brightband intensity and its dependence on aggregation and breakup. However, only a limited number of studies have used a vertically pointing wind profiler to examine the melting layer microphysics and dynamics within stratiform precipitation (Drummond et al 1996;Fabry and Zawadzki 1995;Huggel et al 1996;Zawadzki et al 2005). To our knowledge, such studies in stratiform precipitation of TCs have not been conducted.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Airflow and Precipitation Properties within the Stratiform Region of Tropical Storm Gabrielle during Landfall

Kim

Knupp

Williams

2009

Monthly Weather Review

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Kinematic and microphysical characteristics of a stratiform rainband within Tropical Storm Gabrielle during landfall on 14 September 2001 were investigated using data from a collocated 915-MHz wind profiler and scanning Doppler radar. The curved 60-km-wide rainband was relatively intense with mesoscale updrafts and downdrafts exceeding 61 m s 21 . The bright band is classified as strong, as indicated by reflectivity factors in excess of 50 dBZ and rainfall rates below the bright band peaking at 10-20 mm h 21 . The melting layer microphysical processes were examined to understand the relation between brightband processes and precipitation intensity and kinematics (mesoscale downdraft in particular) below the melting layer. The profiler and Doppler radar analyses, designed to maximize vertical resolution of flows within the melting layer, disclose a striking convergence-divergence couplet through the melting layer that implies a prominent cooling-induced finescale circulation. Melting-driven cooling initiates midlevel convergence in the upper part of the melting region, while weak convergence to positive divergence is analyzed within the lower melting layer. A meltinglayer parameter study indicates the significance of the level of maximum reflectivity that separates convergence above from divergence below and also reveals a mixture of aggregation and breakup of ice particles, with aggregation being dominant. In this vigorous rainband case, the presence of strong mesoscale downdrafts cannot be ignored for accurate retrievals of raindrop size distribution and precipitation parameters from the Sans Air Motion model. When downdrafts are included, retrieved rainfall estimates were much higher than those under the zero vertical air motion assumption and were slightly less than those from a power-law Z-R relation. The rainfall estimates show a positive correlation with reflectivity factor and brightband intensity (i.e., aggregation degree) but less dependence on brightband height.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Airflow and Precipitation Properties within the Stratiform Region of Tropical Storm Gabrielle during Landfall

Kim

Knupp

Williams

2009

Monthly Weather Review

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“…For these reasons, following Zhang et al (2008) and Krajewski et al (2011), the VPR is considered independent from altitude. The reflectivity peak's altitude corresponds to the maximum in the VPR, while the top and the bottom bright band's borders are individuated by the minimums of the curvature of the Z h profile below and above the peak's altitude (Drummond et al, 1996;Baldini and Gorgucci, 2006).…”

Section: Variability Of the Afmentioning

confidence: 99%

On precipitation measurements collected by a weather radar and a rain gauge network

Sebastianelli

Russo

Napolitano

et al. 2013

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. Many phenomena (such as attenuation and range degradation) can influence the accuracy of rainfall radar estimates. They introduce errors that increase as the distance from radar increases, thereby decreasing the reliability of radar estimates for applications that require quantitative precipitation estimation. The present paper evaluates radar error as a function of the range, in order to correct the rainfall radar estimates. The radar is calibrated utilizing data from the rain gauges. Then, the G/R ratio between the yearly rainfall amount measured in each rain gauge position during 2008 and the corresponding radar rainfall amount is calculated against the slant range. The trend of the G/R ratio shows two behaviours: a concave part due to the melting layer effect close to the radar location and an almost linear, increasing trend at greater distances. A best fitting line is used to find an adjustment factor, which estimates the radar error at a given range. The effectiveness of the methodology is verified by comparing pairs of rainfall time series that are observed simultaneously by collocated rain gauges and radar. Furthermore, the variability of the adjustment factor is investigated at the scale of event, both for convective and stratiform events. The main result is that there is not a univocal range error pattern, as it also depends on the characteristics of the considered event. On the other hand, the adjustment factor tends to stabilize itself for time aggregations of the order of one year or greater.

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“…Numerous studies have focused on microphysics near and within the melting layer (e.g., Oraltay and Hallett 2005;Stewart et al 1984;Drummond et al 1996) and modeling of such regions (e.g., Szyrmer and Zawadzki 1999). In these studies, the behavior of melting snowflakes has been intensively studied and has been shown to play a role in the processes related to precipitation development.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The IMPROVE-1 Storm of 1–2 February 2001. Part IV: Precipitation Enhancement across the Melting Layer

Woods

Locatelli

Stoelinga

2008

Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences

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Previous model simulations indicate that in stratiform precipitation, the precipitation rate can increase by 7% in the melting layer through direct condensation onto melting snow and the resultant cooled rain. In the present study, a model simulation of stratiform precipitation in a wide cold frontal rainband indicates that the precipitation rate can also increase by 5% in the melting layer through accretion, by melting snow and rain, of additional cloud water produced by the latent cooling of the ambient air associated with melting snow. The contribution of the combined processes, and therefore the additional precipitation gained through the latent cooling of melting snow within the melting layer, may contribute as much as 10% to the precipitation rate in stratiform precipitation.

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A New Look at the Melting Layer

Cited by 33 publications

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Airflow and Precipitation Properties within the Stratiform Region of Tropical Storm Gabrielle during Landfall

Airflow and Precipitation Properties within the Stratiform Region of Tropical Storm Gabrielle during Landfall

On precipitation measurements collected by a weather radar and a rain gauge network

The IMPROVE-1 Storm of 1–2 February 2001. Part IV: Precipitation Enhancement across the Melting Layer

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